Colloquium

Upcoming Colloquium

Dynamical Consequences of Mass Loss in Heavily Irradiated Planetary Systems
Dr. Brad Hansen, UCLA

November 2, 2026
11:00am-12:00pm in HSCI-102

Brad Hansen

The known population of exoplanets includes a subset which experience significantly more irradiation from their parent stars than any planet in the Solar system. This heating drives a mass loss from the atmosphere, but the escape velocity from the surface of the planet is much less than the escape velocity from the stellar system. Therefore, the lost mass piles up in a torus around the planet, and the interactions between the planet and the gas torus can excite orbital eccentricity. I will discuss how this process impacts planetary systems from those containing small, Earth-size bodies up to those with large, Jupiter size bodies.

planet HAT-P-32b
The planet HAT-P-32b shows extended absorption beyond the planetary transit, which is modelled as a circumstellar gaseous torus, resulting from the mass loss from the planet.

About the Colloquium

The Colloquium is a unique opportunity for students to learn about new developments in physics and what physicists do after they graduate. Hosted by the Physics and Astronomy Department at California State University, Long Beach, the weekly meetings invite guests from universities, research laboratories, and industry to present and discuss current topics in physics. All students are encouraged to attend for a well-rounded experience and training in physics.

Colloquium Coordinator

For information and suggestions about the colloquium please contact the colloquium coordinator:

Dr. Sarah Grefe
Sarah.Grefe@csulb.edu

Schedule

The schedule for Fall 2026 is posted below.

Fall 2026 Schedule
DateTitleSpeaker and Affiliation
November 2, 2026Dynamical Consequences of Mass Loss in Heavily Irradiated Planetary SystemsDr. Brad Hansen, UCLA
November 9, 2026(topic: bose-einstein condensation)Dr. Maren Mossman, University of San Diego
November 16, 2026(topic: quantum sensing techniques)Dr. Darmindra Arumugam, JPL
November 30, 2026(topic: AI in mathematics)Dr. Michael Mulligan, UC Riverside
December 7, 2026Student Presentationsstudents, CSU Long Beach
December 9, 2026Student Presentationsstudents, CSU Long Beach

Previous Colloquia

Fall 2026 Schedule
DateTitleSpeaker and Affiliation
October 26, 2026When Electrons Break Symmetry: Charge Order in Quantum MaterialsDr. Jing Xia, UC Irvine
October 19, 2026Topology and Mechanics of Kinetoplast-Inspired Olympic GelsDr. Alex Klotz, CSU Long Beach
October 12, 2026Determining the Radiative Properties of Anthropogenic Halocarbons by Integrating Experimental FTIR Spectroscopy with Quantum Chemistry CalculationsDr. Karine Le Bris, CSU Los Angeles
October 5, 2026Detecting the Secrets of the Cosmos with Quantum MaterialsDr. Elizabeth A. Peterson, Los Alamos National Laboratory
September 28, 2026Faculty Presentationsdepartment faculty, CSU Long Beach
September 21, 2026Metamagnetic Materials as Switchable MRI Cell Tracking Micro-LabelsDr. Barbic Mladen, Caltech
September 14, 2026Unravelling the hidden state of a kagome magnetDr. Yona Soh, Paul Scherrer Institute, Villigen, Switzerland

The Colloquium Archive has the Colloquia from previous semesters.

Sponsors

We acknowledge with gratitude donations and support from the following present sponsors:

  • H.E. and H.B. Miller and Family Endowment
  • Benjamin Carter
  • Mary L. Bresnan
  • K. Y. Shen
  • American Physical Society
  • Anonymous

We also acknowledge with gratitude our past donors: The Forty-Niner Shops, Inc., The Northrop Grumman Foundation, Sandra Dana, Anonymous.

If you wish to support the Colloquium, please contact the colloquium coordinator or the department chair. Thank you!